166: Lin Qingyue, a direct disciple

Xia Yuxuan ignored the uproar of the crowd and her mother's icy gaze; her eyes were locked onto Clear Moon, Battle Intent burning like fire in her pupils: "Senior Sister Lin, please!"

Clear Moon took a deep breath, suppressing the anger and contempt in her heart, her gaze sharp as a knife: "Since Junior Sister insists on 'seeking guidance,' then I shall grant your wish!

When you lose, don't go crying!" With a movement of her body, she drifted into the arena, her majestic Late Foundation Establishment Stage Peak pressure released without reservation, pressing down on Xia Yuxuan like a mountain!

Xia Yuxuan's delicate body trembled slightly, appearing somewhat frail under this powerful pressure, but she gritted her teeth without the slightest retreat. The spiritual power within her body also circulated to its limit, and a faint layer of protective spiritual light expanded, stubbornly resisting.

The battle erupted in an instant!

Clear Moon's eyes were cold as she waved her jade-like hand nonchalantly. Three condensed, solid-looking azure water-wave palm prints instantly formed, carrying a piercing whistle as they moved in a triangular formation to block all of Xia Yuxuan's paths for evasion!

Even before the palm prints arrived, the majestic spiritual power pressure of the Late Foundation Establishment Stage Peak had already caused the air to stagnate, intending to use the absolute power gap to instantly collapse Xia Yuxuan's resistance and end this farce that seemed meaningless to her.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Xia Yuxuan's pupils constricted as she bit her lower lip, pushing the spiritual power in her body to its limit! Her figure shifted rapidly, attempting to weave through the gaps between the palm prints. Simultaneously, she struck out with both palms, instantly laying down three water-curtain barriers as thin as cicada wings yet full of resilience—'Water Ripple Shield'!

The first palm print collided with the first layer of the water curtain; the curtain twisted and deformed violently, shattering with a bang after supporting itself for less than a breath!

The second palm print followed closely behind; the second layer of the water curtain only rippled violently before breaking upon impact!

The third palm print slammed into the third layer of the water curtain without obstruction. Xia Yuxuan let out a muffled groan, her delicate body shaking violently. She retreated seven or eight steps, her feet thudding against the ground, before barely steadying herself. That final barrier shattered inch by inch like fragile glass!

The residual force of the palm strike penetrated her body, causing her blood and Qi to surge. A sweet taste rose in her throat as a trace of bright red blood slowly trickled down the corner of her mouth, staining her snow-white lapel. Her small face instantly lost its color, making her look exceptionally wretched.

However, in those clear eyes, the fire of unyielding resolve burned even more fiercely! Without the slightest hesitation, and without even having time to wipe the blood from her mouth, she lunged off the ground, her figure advancing instead of retreating as she pounced toward Clear Moon like an arrow leaving a bow!

This time, her hands quickly formed seals. Several 'Water Arrow Spells' shot out, not seeking to deal damage but only to interfere with Clear Moon's vision and rhythm. Meanwhile, she closed the distance, performing a basic close-combat movement technique to circle and harass Clear Moon!

“Hmph, overestimating yourself!” Clear Moon snorted coldly, casually flicking her sleeve. A powerful burst of water spiritual energy swept out like a whip, easily dispersing the incoming water arrows while accurately lashing toward Xia Yuxuan's waist and abdomen!

“Crack!”

Xia Yuxuan had no way to dodge; her protective spiritual light flickered violently once more before shattering. A sharp pain came from her waist as she was violently whipped away, slamming heavily onto the bluestone slabs several yards away amidst flying dust.

“Pfft!” She spat out another small mouthful of blood, her body curling up in apparent agony.

But just when everyone thought she wouldn't be able to get up, she propped herself up with her hands, her nails nearly digging into the gaps between the stone slabs. Her body trembled violently, yet with a moving display of tenacity, she stood up again inch by inch! Her gaze remained fixed on Clear Moon, containing no fear, only a near-obsessive persistence!

“Again!” A hoarse but firm voice rang out as she charged forward once more!

It was still the basic harassment of water arrows and Water Blades, still the reckless close-quarters combat!

Falling, getting up! Falling again, getting up again! Her clothes were torn in many places, her hair was disheveled, and her mouth and lapel were covered in blood and dust, making her look miserable. Yet, that ruthless determination to never stop until her goal was reached caused the original mockery and doubt on the square to gradually subside, replaced by a complex silence.

Gradually, some Disciples and Elders with sharper eyes on the sidelines began to see a deeper pattern.

“Something's not right... Junior Sister Xia seems wretched, but her spiritual power... doesn't seem to have diminished much?”

“Exactly! Every time she stands up after being knocked down, the fluctuations of spiritual power on her body actually become a bit more condensed? This... this is illogical!”

“She's using Senior Sister Lin's attacks to... temper herself?! Moreover, this fighting style... she's clearly trying to deliberately exhaust Senior Sister Lin's spiritual power!”

“Using this near-self-mutilating method of attrition to exhaust a Late Foundation Establishment Stage Peak? This... is too crazy! The difference in spiritual power reserves between the Foundation Establishment Mid-stage and Late Stage Peak is like a natural chasm! Senior Sister Lin's spiritual power consumption is negligible; how long can she herself last?”

“Indeed, Senior Sister Lin hasn't even used her full strength; it's more like she's playing. If Senior Sister were to get serious...”

Everyone shook their heads; although they were shocked by Xia Yuxuan's tenacity, they still felt her strategy was no different from drinking poison to quench thirst—laughably naive.

However, Clear Moon, being at the center of the storm, felt completely different. She had indeed only used less than thirty percent of her spiritual power, but every seemingly casual strike felt like hitting a piece of resilient Profound Sea Ice!

Xia Yuxuan's resistance grew more stubborn with each attempt. What caused a faint sense of unease to rise in her heart was that although the other's aura was disordered, her spiritual power seemed to be inexhaustible and endlessly regenerating?

This completely exceeded her understanding of Foundation Establishment Mid-stage Cultivators!

What she didn't know was that deep within Xia Yuxuan's Dantian and Qi Sea, that 'little sun' condensed from Lu Yang's Origin Primordial Yang was currently emitting a warm and majestic golden glow!

Every time Xia Yuxuan took a heavy hit or her spiritual power was severely depleted, this 'little sun' would vibrate slightly, releasing a massive amount of extremely pure Primordial Yang spiritual power. Like sweet rain, it instantly nourished her parched Meridians, repaired her damaged internal organs, and further strengthened every inch of her flesh and blood!

The Primordial Yang Dao Body that Lu Yang had reshaped for her endowed this body with recovery, endurance, and a terrifying affinity for Yang-attribute spiritual power that far exceeded ordinary people!

“Water Dragon Bind!” Clear Moon finally lost her patience; she didn't want to be used as a sparring partner anymore! With a point of her slender finger, two azure water dragons composed entirely of pure water spiritual power appeared out of thin air. With low Dragon roars, they swiftly coiled toward Xia Yuxuan, attempting to completely imprison her!

A look of determination flashed in Xia Yuxuan's eyes. Instead of dodging, she let out a low shout, instantly detonating the Primal Yang Power accumulated in her body! A burst of scorching, fierce, and life-filled pale golden light erupted violently from her body!

“Sizzle—!”

The two seemingly incredibly tough water dragons, the moment they touched this pale golden light, were like they had met their nemesis. Emitting a piercing sound of melting, they were actually forcibly evaporated and mostly dispersed! The binding force instantly collapsed! Xia Yuxuan took the opportunity to break free. Although her figure staggered and her face grew paler, her eyes were startlingly bright!

Clear Moon's pupils constricted, her heart filled with even greater shock and suspicion! That power just now... was definitely not a Shuiyue Peak Cultivation Technique! It was domineering, scorching, and full of aggression!

Xia Yuxuan remained like an unkillable piece of sticky candy, knocked down again and again, only to stubbornly stand up each time and continue her futile yet incredibly resilient assaults. Her attacks still couldn't cause substantial damage to Clear Moon, but every block, every dodge, and every burst of Primordial Yang to break free was truly, bit by bit, consuming Clear Moon's spiritual power and patience!